Last Modified: Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 7:00 a.m.

Lights and smoke competed on stage to cast a dreamy backdrop for a funk explosion of rhythmic soul music. The venue was packed.

It was Historic Downtown Hendersonville’s fourth and last concert in a new series called Rhythm & Brews that erupted in popularity over the summer months. With nearly 30-40 percent attendance growth seen at each show, organizers are excited about the prospects for next year.

They hoped to build a series that was at least sustainable … something that would cater to people of all ages and introduce the public to Hendersonville’s booming business of breweries and wineries.

But something else happened. Downtown restaurants saw a bump in traffic and a 10-20 percent spike in sales during the Thursday night concerts. Increased foot traffic near ART MoB Studios drew new people into the shop to see the work of local artists.

More than 100 people also volunteered to help with the concerts, donating 700 hours of volunteer time valued at more than $13,000 in state labor estimates.

And best of all, the locals love it.

“We need a variety here,” said Jane Zecher of Hendersonville, adding that she found it at Rhythm & Brews. Her head bobbed to the beat of funk legend George Porter Jr., who took the stage minutes after 7 p.m. Thursday.

Each show catered to a different beat of music: bluegrass, funk, soul, rock, acoustic pop and blues. Local bands warmed up the stage for headlining performers from across the Southeast.

“It was wonderful seeing the 20-30 age group, young families, middle-aged and older folks,” said Babs Newton, one of the series’ organizers. “We were targeting a younger generation with the bands we chose, but Rhythm & Brews drew in all ages. That was a surprise.”

Children enjoyed games on giant chess and Connect Four boards, and scrambled to have their faces painted in a designated Family Zone hosted by Hands On! A Child’s Gallery. Pre-show athletes warmed up before the Thursday concerts with Pardee Main Street Mile Fun Runs.

Henderson County Recycles and Danny Keaton of Danny’s Dumpsters made sure the evening’s waste wasn’t wasted, sorting garbage into bins for composting, recycling and the less-used landfill. Volunteers from the Environmental Conservation Organization were on hand to educate the public about the sorting.

Howard George of By George Realty attended every show. “I hope they keep it going,” he said, holding a Bavarian-style soft pretzel topped with cheese and spinach from the Underground Baking Co.

The venue hosted vendors that offered a taste of local flair from freshbaked breads to beverages to Sierra Nevada and Southern Appalachian breweries, Burntshirt Vineyards, Falderal Winery and St. Paul Mountain Vineyards.

A toast

This has been a “home run,” said Chad McRae, regional events manager for Sierra Nevada, as he stood outside of a tent buzzing with a line of thirsty customers Thursday. “It’s been absolutely fantastic for us and for the community. … It’s a much bigger success than I anticipated.”

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., based out of Chico, Calif. and working to finalize a new brewing site in Mills River, was one of the series’ primary sponsors. McRae said that they’re on tap for next year, too.

“We’re getting the exposure,” owner of Falderal Winery Julia Newbold said as a partner poured white Chardonnay into a clear cup. She delighted in telling customers who asked Thursday that their shop was less than 200 yards down the road on Third Avenue West.

The exposure led to more sales in the shop and has been great for business, she said. Falderal Winery was another primary sponsor of the series, along with Southern Appalachian Brewery. Owners of both companies say they are “definitely” on board for next year. “I think it’s been fantastic,” said Kelly Cubbin, who co-owns Southern Appalachian with her husband, Andy. “I was really impressed with the turnout and the reception the community has given the event … Hendersonville has needed this.” Newton has seen the need. “I really think Rhythm & Brews has altered Hendersonville in a significant way. I think it spoke volumes to the younger people who have been asking for something for their age group for years,” she said. “We told them that first concert night, ‘We heard you!’” On Thursday, the crowd buzzed with an excitement Newton likened to “opening up a big present on Christmas morning. Everyone was so surprised that Hendersonville could pull something like this off.” Cubbin said some of her customers have come into their tap room at 822 Locust St. toasting the event after the shows. One man just dropped in one night to “tell us how much he appreciated the concert series,” she said.

Fixing the kinks

There were some kinks to work out along the way. The line for beverages — perhaps confused by some as the line to get in the first show — trailed up to Main Street and wrapped around Hannah Flanagan’s Pub.

In an attempt to remedy the problem, organizers opened two locations staffed with more volunteers and better signage for guests to buy wristbands and drink tickets.

Event planners were expecting between 1,250 and 1,500 people at their first show in May, but estimated 2,000-2,500 showed up by calculating wristband, beer and wine sales. In June, the crowd grew to about 3,000 guests. In July, it exploded to standing room only as a throng of nearly 4,500 music lovers came to see the widely popular Balsam Range.

After complaints from people having trouble navigating through the choppy sea of folding chairs filled the ears of organizers, they decided to limit the seating area for the final show Thursday.

The crowd still came … in the thousands.

Historic Downtown Hendersonville Director Lew Holloway said that Main Street Advisory Committee — masterminds of the series — did a great job trying to fix the kinks as they came up. “It’s not easy to do to kind of adjust on the fly,” he said. When organizers first started brainstorming the series last year, they tried to envision shows on a night of the week when the public would come out to hear a band they could get for less than weekend rates. They wanted to attract a wide range of people and demographics and create something locals would feel was made for them. “It’s really hard when you put together an event to know how well received it would be … but we certainly had a feeling this was going to be popular,” Holloway said. Historic Downtown Hendersonville entertained close to 15,000 people this year. “When one of the volunteers says, ‘this is my Rhythm and Brews,’ I’m just thrilled to hear that,” he said.

The series has also expanded a pool of eager recruits ready to help Holloway in other events.

“We could not have pulled Rhythm & Brews off without our dedicated volunteers,” Newton said. “They made it happen.”

Although Holloway is still gathering receipts to calculate the expense and revenue of each show to update Hendersonville City Council next month, he said they are definitely “in the black.”

He estimates the cost of each show to have been in the ballpark of $10,000 to produce. The true costs varied with the price of the bands.

“It’s been very well received,” he said, adding that they were blessed with a “strong sponsorship drive” and “strong attendance.”

The committee is “conceptually discussing” next year’s series, Holloway said. No reservations for bands have been made yet, but organizers have “definitely” talked about adding another show.

Organizers for the series were Mike Hall of Tempo Music; Mike Ridenour of Western North Carolina Music Academy; Charlie Tucker, founder and organizer of the former Flat Rock Music Festival; Ralph Freeman, former councilman; and Newton. The committee is soliciting the public’s ideas for next year’s band on its facebook page, www. facebook.com/ Downtown-Hendersonville.

<p>Smooth caramel tones from a skilled hand on an electric bass guitar washed over a swaying crowd in Hendersonville's Azalea parking lot Thursday night.</p><p>Lights and smoke competed on stage to cast a dreamy backdrop for a funk explosion of rhythmic soul music. The venue was packed.</p><p>It was Historic Downtown Hendersonville's fourth and last concert in a new series called Rhythm & Brews that erupted in popularity over the summer months. With nearly 30-40 percent attendance growth seen at each show, organizers are excited about the prospects for next year.</p><p>They hoped to build a series that was at least sustainable … something that would cater to people of all ages and introduce the public to Hendersonville's booming business of breweries and wineries.</p><p>But something else happened. Downtown restaurants saw a bump in traffic and a 10-20 percent spike in sales during the Thursday night concerts. Increased foot traffic near ART MoB Studios drew new people into the shop to see the work of local artists.</p><p>More than 100 people also volunteered to help with the concerts, donating 700 hours of volunteer time valued at more than $13,000 in state labor estimates.</p><p>And best of all, the locals love it.</p><p>“We need a variety here,” said Jane Zecher of Hendersonville, adding that she found it at Rhythm & Brews. Her head bobbed to the beat of funk legend George Porter Jr., who took the stage minutes after 7 p.m. Thursday.</p><p>Each show catered to a different beat of music: bluegrass, funk, soul, rock, acoustic pop and blues. Local bands warmed up the stage for headlining performers from across the Southeast.</p><p>“It was wonderful seeing the 20-30 age group, young families, middle-aged and older folks,” said Babs Newton, one of the series' organizers. “We were targeting a younger generation with the bands we chose, but Rhythm & Brews drew in all ages. That was a surprise.”</p><p>Children enjoyed games on giant chess and Connect Four boards, and scrambled to have their faces painted in a designated Family Zone hosted by Hands On! A Child's Gallery. Pre-show athletes warmed up before the Thursday concerts with Pardee Main Street Mile Fun Runs. </p><p>Henderson County Recycles and Danny Keaton of Danny's Dumpsters made sure the evening's waste wasn't wasted, sorting garbage into bins for composting, recycling and the less-used landfill. Volunteers from the Environmental Conservation Organization were on hand to educate the public about the sorting. </p><p>Howard George of By George Realty attended every show. “I hope they keep it going,” he said, holding a Bavarian-style soft pretzel topped with cheese and spinach from the Underground Baking Co. </p><p>The venue hosted vendors that offered a taste of local flair from freshbaked breads to beverages to Sierra Nevada and Southern Appalachian breweries, Burntshirt Vineyards, Falderal Winery and St. Paul Mountain Vineyards. </p><p>A toast </p><p>This has been a “home run,” said Chad McRae, regional events manager for Sierra Nevada, as he stood outside of a tent buzzing with a line of thirsty customers Thursday. “It's been absolutely fantastic for us and for the community. … It's a much bigger success than I anticipated.” </p><p>Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., based out of Chico, Calif. and working to finalize a new brewing site in Mills River, was one of the series' primary sponsors. McRae said that they're on tap for next year, too. </p><p>“We're getting the exposure,” owner of Falderal Winery Julia Newbold said as a partner poured white Chardonnay into a clear cup. She delighted in telling customers who asked Thursday that their shop was less than 200 yards down the road on Third Avenue West. </p><p>The exposure led to more sales in the shop and has been great for business, she said. Falderal Winery was another primary sponsor of the series, along with Southern Appalachian Brewery. Owners of both companies say they are “definitely” on board for next year. “I think it's been fantastic,” said Kelly Cubbin, who co-owns Southern Appalachian with her husband, Andy. “I was really impressed with the turnout and the reception the community has given the event … Hendersonville has needed this.” Newton has seen the need. “I really think Rhythm & Brews has altered Hendersonville in a significant way. I think it spoke volumes to the younger people who have been asking for something for their age group for years,” she said. “We told them that first concert night, 'We heard you!'” On Thursday, the crowd buzzed with an excitement Newton likened to “opening up a big present on Christmas morning. Everyone was so surprised that Hendersonville could pull something like this off.” Cubbin said some of her customers have come into their tap room at 822 Locust St. toasting the event after the shows. One man just dropped in one night to “tell us how much he appreciated the concert series,” she said. </p><p>Fixing the kinks </p><p>There were some kinks to work out along the way. The line for beverages — perhaps confused by some as the line to get in the first show — trailed up to Main Street and wrapped around Hannah Flanagan's Pub. </p><p>In an attempt to remedy the problem, organizers opened two locations staffed with more volunteers and better signage for guests to buy wristbands and drink tickets. </p><p>Event planners were expecting between 1,250 and 1,500 people at their first show in May, but estimated 2,000-2,500 showed up by calculating wristband, beer and wine sales. In June, the crowd grew to about 3,000 guests. In July, it exploded to standing room only as a throng of nearly 4,500 music lovers came to see the widely popular Balsam Range. </p><p>After complaints from people having trouble navigating through the choppy sea of folding chairs filled the ears of organizers, they decided to limit the seating area for the final show Thursday. </p><p>The crowd still came … in the thousands. </p><p>Historic Downtown Hendersonville Director Lew Holloway said that Main Street Advisory Committee — masterminds of the series — did a great job trying to fix the kinks as they came up. “It's not easy to do to kind of adjust on the fly,” he said. When organizers first started brainstorming the series last year, they tried to envision shows on a night of the week when the public would come out to hear a band they could get for less than weekend rates. They wanted to attract a wide range of people and demographics and create something locals would feel was made for them. “It's really hard when you put together an event to know how well received it would be … but we certainly had a feeling this was going to be popular,” Holloway said. Historic Downtown Hendersonville entertained close to 15,000 people this year. “When one of the volunteers says, 'this is my Rhythm and Brews,' I'm just thrilled to hear that,” he said. </p><p>The series has also expanded a pool of eager recruits ready to help Holloway in other events. </p><p>“We could not have pulled Rhythm & Brews off without our dedicated volunteers,” Newton said. “They made it happen.” </p><p>Although Holloway is still gathering receipts to calculate the expense and revenue of each show to update Hendersonville City Council next month, he said they are definitely “in the black.” </p><p>He estimates the cost of each show to have been in the ballpark of $10,000 to produce. The true costs varied with the price of the bands. </p><p>“It's been very well received,” he said, adding that they were blessed with a “strong sponsorship drive” and “strong attendance.” </p><p>The committee is “conceptually discussing” next year's series, Holloway said. No reservations for bands have been made yet, but organizers have “definitely” talked about adding another show. </p><p>Organizers for the series were Mike Hall of Tempo Music; Mike Ridenour of Western North Carolina Music Academy; Charlie Tucker, founder and organizer of the former Flat Rock Music Festival; Ralph Freeman, former councilman; and Newton. The committee is soliciting the public's ideas for next year's band on its facebook page, www. facebook.com/ Downtown-Hendersonville. </p><p>Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828- 694-7867.</p>